李仕才
Virtual worlds are also useful for children
导读：随着电脑网络的普及应用，网络虚拟世界成为人们生活的一个重要组成部分。有人认为虚拟世界一无是处，但事实并非如此。
A research report says that virtual worlds can be important places where children practice what they will do in real life. The research was done with children using the BBC's Adventure Rock virtual world, aimed
at those aged 6-12. ①It surveyed and interviewed children who were the first to test the game.
The online world is a theme island built for the BBC's children channel by Belgian game maker Larian. Children explore the world alone
but they use message boards to share what they find and what they do in the different creative studios in virtual space.
At times children were explorers and they were social climbers ②
eager to connect with other players. Some were power users looking for more information about how the virtual space really worked. The children could try all kinds of things without having to ③be afraid of the
consequences that would follow if they tried them in the real world. They learned many useful social skills and played around with their identityin ways that would be much more difficult in real life.
According to the study what children liked about virtual worlds was
the chance to create content such as music, cartoons and videos.
The publishers of the report say that virtual worlds can be a powerful, engaging and real interactive alternative to more passive media. ④They urged creators of virtual spaces for children to get young people involved very early on because they really do have good ideas and they
are very good critical friends. 虚拟世界对孩子也有用
根据一份研究报告，虚拟世界也是很重要的地方。孩子们可以在其中练习
他们在现实生活中的所作所为。该研究是以儿童为实验对象，使用BBC的冒险摇滚虚拟世界系统，旨在研究6岁至12岁的儿童。该项研究中所调查和采访的孩子都是第一次参加测试游戏。
网络世界是一个由比利时的游戏厂商Larian为BBC的儿童频道创建的主题
岛。儿童独自探索世界，但他们使用留言板来分享他们的发现以及在虚拟空间中各创意工作室的所作所为。
有时候孩子们是探险家，他们想法进入上流社会，渴望与其他玩家取得联
系。一些高级用户寻找更多有关如何在虚拟空间起作用的信息。孩子们可以尝试各种事物，而不必害怕他们在现实世界中他们尝试这样做可能出现的结果。他们学到了很多有用的社会技能以及用他们喜欢的身份玩耍，而这种方式在现
实生活中要困难得多。 根据研究中孩子所喜欢的虚拟世界，这就提供了创造出如音乐，漫画和视频等内容的机会。
根据商的报告，虚拟世界对于那些被动的媒体来说,它是一个强大而吸引人
的,它具有相互性。他们呼吁为儿童创造虚拟空间，让年轻人早早地参与其中，因为他们真的有好的想法,并且他们是很好的诤友。 重点单词：
1. identity [aɪ'dentɪtɪ] n. 身份
2. engaging [ɪn'geɪdʒɪŋ; en-] adj. 迷人的
3. interactive [ɪntər'æktɪv] adj. 交互式的；相互作用的 重点短语 / 亮点句式：
1. It surveyed and interviewed children who were the first to test the game.
该项研究中所调查和采访的孩子都是第一次参加测试游戏。
该句子中who were the first to test the game为定语从句修饰children。在定语从句中be the first to do sth.为固定结构，表示第一次做某事。如： He is always the first to come to school. 他总是第一个到校的人。 2. be eager to 渴望。如：
The company is eager to gain a foothold in Europe. 这家公司急于在欧洲取得一席之地。 3. be afraid of 害怕。如：
There's nothing to be afraid of. The sky won't fall down. 没有什么好怕的，天不会塌下来。
4. They urged creators of virtual spaces for children to get young people involved very early on because they really do have good ideas and they are very good critical friends.
他们呼吁为儿童创造虚拟空间，让年轻人早早地参与其中，因为他们真的有好的想法,并且他们是很好的诤友。
该句子中They urged creators of virtual spaces for children to get young people involved very early on 为句子主句，其中urge sb. to do sth.为固定搭配，表示催促某人做某事；because they really do have good ideas and they are very good critical friends为原因状语从句；在该从句中包含强调句they really do have good ideas。如： I do like this book. 我确实喜欢这本书。 练习：
1. William Beebe，one of the first men _________ the depth of the sea in a bathysphere，got interested in oceanography because of one book. A. exploring B. having exploring C. to be exploring D. to explore
2. Why do children like the virtual space when learning social skills? 答案：
【话题解读】
“互联网与信息传媒技术”是高中新课程话题之一。该话题包括各领域计算机网络知识、新闻媒体等方面。互联网与信息传媒技术已经影响渗透到我们生活的方方面面，例如智能手机、WiFi、微信、QQ、APP等。
“互联网与信息传媒技术”话题是历年高考英语的必考话题，分值所占比重也比较高。例如：浙江卷七选五、全国卷Ⅰ七选五，全国卷Ⅲ阅读理解D篇；全国卷Ⅱ的阅读理解B篇和七选五；江苏卷完形填空；江苏卷书面表达等。 【相关词汇】 Ⅰ.写作必记单词 1.acquire v.获得
2.advance v.进展；进步； n.进展；进步；前进→advanced adj.先进的，高级的
3.advantage n.优点 4.challenge n.挑战
5.convenient adj.便利的，方便的→convenience n.方便，便利 6.debate n.& v.争论
7.explore vt.探索→exploration n.检测；探险 8.expose vt.揭露
9.matter vi.有关系；要紧
10.predict v.预言；预先；预报→prediction n.预测，预告→predictor n.预言家
11.disturb vt.打扰；扰乱；使心神不宁
12.provide vt.提供 13.replace v.取代
14.support vt.& n.支持，赞助→supporter n.支持者；拥护者 Ⅱ.阅读识记单词
15.cover vt.采访；报道；遮掩；盖上 16.breakthrough n.重大进展，突破 17.broadcast n.广播节目；vt.广播 18.connect vt.连接，把……联系起来 19.convenience n.方便 20.download v.下载 21.experiment n.实验 22.feature n.特写；花絮 23.globe n.地球仪；地球
24.hopeful adj.有希望的；有前途的 25.instant adj.立即的；即时的
26.intelligent adj.智能的→intelligence n.智力；理解力 27.mobile adj.移动的
28.process n.& vt.过程；加工，处理 29.spread v.传播；蔓延；流传
30.scientific adj.科学的→science n.科学→scientist n.科学家31.signal n.信号
32.update vt.更新；使现代化
33.system n.系统；体系 34.technology n.技术
35.worldwide adj.遍及全球的，世界范围的 【高频短语】
1.be addicted to沉迷于…… 2.by this means以这种方式 3.catch on了解；理解；流行 4.come out；发行；结果是
5.have access to使用；接通；可以利用 6.have an effect on/upon对……有影响 7.keep in touch with与……保持联系 8.keep pace with跟上 9.land on the moon登月 10.log in/on登录；进入 11.shut down/off关掉
12.with the development of随着……的发展 I．阅读理解
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。A（2018·新课标卷II）
We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s awkward and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.
Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t
even exist if it weren’t for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease(润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. ＂Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,＂ he explains. ＂The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.＂
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction(互动) with its waiter; the other, to
speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. ＂It’s not that talking to the waiter
is better than talking to your husband,＂ says Dunn. ＂But interactions with peripheral(边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also.＂
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. ＂Small talk is the basis of good manners,＂ he says. 1. What phenomenon is described in the first paragraph? A. Addiction to smartphones.
B. Inappropriate behaviours in public places. C. Absence of communication between strangers. D. Impatience with slow service.
2. What is important for successful small talk according to Carducci? A. Showing good manners. B. Relating to other people. C. Focusing on a topic. D. Making business deals. 3. What does the coffee-shop study suggest about small talk?
A. It improves family relationships. B. It raises people’s confidence.
C. It matters as much as a formal talk. D. It makes people feel good.
4. What is the best title for the text?
A. Conversation Counts B. Ways of Making Small Talk C. Benefits of Small Talk D. Uncomfortable Silence B （2016·新课标卷III）
Bad news sells. If it bleeds, it leads. No news is good news, and good news is no news. Those are the classic rules for the evening broadcasts and the morning papers. But now that information is being spread and monitored(监控) in different ways, researchers are discovering new rules. By tracking people’s e-mails and online posts, scientists have found that good news can spread faster and farther than disasters and sob stories.
＂The ‘if it bleeds’ rule works for mass media,＂ says Jonah Berger, a scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. ＂They want your eyeballs and don’t care how you’re feeling. But when you share a story with your friends, you care a lot more how they react. You don’t want them to think of you as a Debbie Downer.＂
Researchers analyzing word-of-mouth communication — e-mails, Web posts and reviews, face-to-face conversations — found that it tended to be more positive than negative(消极的), but that didn’t necessarily mean people preferred positive news. Was positive news shared more often simply because people experienced more good things than bad things? To test for that possibility, Dr. Berger looked at how people spread a
particular set of news stories: thousands of articles on The New York Times’ website. He and a Penn colleague analyzed the ＂most e-mailed＂ list for six months. One of his first findings was that articles in the science section were much more likely to make the list than non-science articles. He found that science amazed Times’ readers and made them want to share this positive feeling with others.
Readers also tended to share articles that were exciting or funny, or that inspired negative feelings like anger or anxiety, but not articles that left them merely sad. They needed to be aroused(激发) one way or the other, and they preferred good news to bad. The more positive an article, the more likely it was to be shared, as Dr. Berger explains in his new book, ＂Contagious: Why Things Catch On.＂
1.What do the classic rules mentioned in the text apply to? A. News reports. B. Research papers. C. Private e-mails.
D. Daily conversations.
2. What can we infer about people like Debbie Downer? A. They’re socially inactive.
B. They’re good at telling stories. C. They’re inconsiderate of others. D. They’re careful with their words.
3. Which tended to be the most e-mailed according to Dr. Berger’s research? A. Sports news. B. Science articles. C. Personal accounts. D. Financial reviews.
4. What can be a suitable title for the text? A. Sad Stories Travel Far and Wide. B .Online News Attracts More People. C. Reading Habits Change with the Times. D. Good News Beats Bad on Social Networks.
C
If the loudest, most annoying alarm clocks have failed to separate you from your beloved bed, \"Shock Clock Wake up Trainer\" might be just the thing for you. This wearable alarm clock will surely shock you awake every morning, if beeps(嘟嘟声)and continuous slight shaking movements don’t do the trick. Pavlok, the company behind Shock Clock, is founded by Maneesh Sethi, who first rose to fame on the Internet after hiring a woman to slap him every time he opened Facebook. Having had previous success in his \"Pavlok Breaks Bad Habits\" device that helped people quit bad habits like nail biting and smoking, he claims that the device’s \"sensory inputs\" have the potential to create permanent behavioral changes. It is apparently the world’s first device that \"uses effective, tested sensory inputs to wake you up and keep you alert\".
The Shock Clock wristband will first start vibrating (振动), beeping,
and then continue to send an electric shock to make the wearer awake, which is always thought to be impolite to the wearers. After a few of these awakenings, the brain will get used to the vibration and also expect to receive an electric shock, so a simple vibration will be enough to fully wake you up. Over time, the wearer will clearly wake up a few minutes before the electric shock, and won’t even need to use it any more.
\"The electric shock is carefully designed so that it’s enough to be uncomfortable, but not so strong that it hurts people,\" Sethi said. \"It’s a lot like a static(静电)shock you get when you touch a handle after rubbing your feet on the carpet. The vibration is always silent and gentle, the beep is loud and annoying, and the electric shock is powerful and effective.\"
Priced at $199, Shock Clock is compatible(兼容的)with both iOS and
Android apps. Other features include a nap lock, multiple alarms, sleep cycle analysis, and an option that informs friends and allows them to wake the wearer up if they’re still not out of bed. Pavlok is currently raising funds for mass production, with over $225,000 collected so far. 1.At first, Sethi was famous for . A. founding a company to change others’ bad habits B. teaching others a lesson when they have bad habits C. breaking one of his bad habits with a woman’s help D. inviting a woman to teach him how to use Facebook
2.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about? A. The features of Shock Clock.
B. The way Shock Clock works. C. The creation of Shock Clock. D. The effects of Shock Clock.
3.What does Sethi want to stress about Shock Clock in the last but one
paragraph? A. Its safety. B. Its uniqueness. C. Its effectiveness. D. Its importance.
D One of the main creators of the World Wide Web Sir Tim Berners-Lee has warned that the fast growth of the Internet is also creating serious problems. He especially warns of false information being easily spread around the Internet, \"A great danger is that it becomes a place where untruths start to spread more than truths, or it becomes a place which becomes increasingly unfair in some way. \" In particular he mentions the
phenomena of blogging. Blogging enables friends and contacts to easily spread information However he argues that people may too easily trust information mentioned in a blog. This inaccurate information can then easily become an accepted truth on the Internet.
He suggests that the most important development of the Internet will be in creating ways of allowing people to check the correctness of information by providing original sources. Sir Tim admits that this is an important challenge. It's interesting to note that Wikipedia(维基百科)has had to take steps to prevent false information being added to the biographies of living people. It's easy for anybody to edit the open
source. However, some people have pointed out that it has been used to spread false materials. In seeking to raise standards, Wikipedia has sought to stop publishing the false material.
At the same time there is a growing view that the Internet has had a great effect on the way millions of people work. The last two years has seen a big growth in the use of the Internet. There appears no
slow-down in the growth of the Internet with increasing access in the developing countries. Sir Tim says another major challenge will be to
provide free Internet for everybody. Sir Tim was recently launching a new joint initiative(倡议)between Southampton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to create the first degree in web science. The two schools hope to raise the standards of web content.
1.What is an especially serious problem that Sir Tim refers to? A. The growth of the Internet is too fast.
B. The Internet has a side effect on young children. C. The false information spreads rapidly on the Internet.
D. The Internet companies compete against each other in an unfair way. 2.What causes the biographies to have false information? A. The Internet users refuses users to correct it. B. Wikipedia doesn't take any steps.
C. Anybody can easily edit the biographies.
D. Wikipedia attempts to publish false materials.
3.According to the last paragraph, the purpose of the joint initiative is to .
A. enlarge the use of the Internet
B. improve the reliability of online content
C. provide free Internet access to the poor countries D. create the first degree in science and technology
4.We can learn from the text that _______.
A. Sir Tim has built two schools recently
B. the Internet is harmful to the people's health
C. Sir Tim hopes everyone can use the Internet for free D. the Internet develops slowly in the developing countries A
【文章大意】这是一篇议论文。在当今社会，人们在公共场合或沉迷于智能手机，或与不舒服的沉默抗争，陌生人之间缺乏沟通。但人与人之间是需要适当的交谈闲聊的，闲聊是人际关系社会交往必不可少的部分，而且也有很多好处。
2.B 【解析】推理判断题。题干问得是对于Carducci来说，成功的闲聊中重
要的是什么。根据第三段最后一句“The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them”（成功闲聊的关键是学习如何与他们交流，而不仅仅是与他们沟通。）由此推断C符合题意。A项意为：表现出良好的礼貌。B项意为：与他人有关的。C项意为：专注于一个话题。D项意为：做商业交易。故选B项。
3.D 【解析】推理判断题。题干问的是：咖啡店的研究对闲聊有什么建议。根
据第四段的调查结果可知，那些与服务员聊天的人，有显著的积极情绪和更好的咖啡店体验。由此可知，D项符合题意。A项意为：闲聊改善了家庭关系。B项意为：闲聊提高了人们的信心。C项意为：闲聊和正式谈话一样重要。D项意为：闲聊让人感觉很好。故选D项。
4.C 【解析】主旨大意题。整篇文章刚开始介绍了社会的现象（公共场合人们
沉迷于智能手机，陌生人之间缺乏沟通交流），接着分析了这一问题的原因，接下来有专家对闲聊进行了研究，最后得出结论，闲聊都有什么样的好处。A项意为：谈话很重要。B项意为：闲聊的方法。C项意为：闲聊的好处。D项意为：不舒服的沉默。故选C项。 B
【话题解读】人们常说＂没有消息就是最好的消息＂，类似的传统说法只适合于大众媒体。在网络普及的时代，好消息在网络上的传播速度比坏消息要快很多。
1.A 【解析】细节理解题。根据第二段＂The ‘if it bleeds’ rule works for
mass media＂可知，像＂it bleeds＂这样的传统说法适用于大众媒体，故选A。
2.C【解析】推理判断题。根据＂you care a lot more how they react＂可
知，你非常在乎朋友听完你讲的故事后的反应，根据＂You don’t want them to think of you as a Debbie Downer.＂可知，你不想被当作一个＂Debbie Downer＂，说明Debbie Downer指的是＂一个不为他人考虑的人＂，故选C。
3.B 【解析】细节理解题。根据第三段＂articles in the science section were
much more likely to make the list than non-science articles＂可知，科技类的文章比非科技类的更有可能被人们讨论，故选B。
4.D 【解析】标题归纳题。根据第一段＂By tracking people’s e-mails and
online posts, scientists have found that good news can spread
faster and farther than disasters and sob stories.＂可知，好消息在网络上传播得更快，影响更深远；说明文章主要讲的是好消息通过网络的传播，故选D。
C
【文章大意】本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了Pavlok公司最新研发的智能手环Shock Clock。
2.B 【解析】考查主旨要义。根据第三段的内容可知，本段主要讲的是Shock
Clock的工作原理。其中的\"first start...\" \"and then...\"等信息是关键提示。故答案选B项。
3.A 【解析】考查推理判断。根据倒数第二段的内容尤其是\"...but not so
strong that it hurts people\" \"It’s a lot like a static(静电)shock you get when you touch a handle after rubbing your feet on the carpet...\"可知，尽管该智能手环会电击佩戴者，但其产生的电击是非常轻微的，近似静电，对佩戴者来说是安全的。也就是说，此处主要强调的是Shock Clock的安全性。故答案选A项。 D
【文章大意】本文为说明文。讲述的是互联网的创始人之一Sir Tim之处因特网导致的几个严重问题和因特网对人们的影响。
1.C 【解析】细节理解题。根据第二段第一句话中的“He especially warns of
false information being easily spread around the Internet…”可知Sir Tim提到的尤其严重的问题是因特网上虚假信息快速传播，故选C。
2.C 【解析】细节理解题。根据第三段第四句话It's easy for anybody to edit the open source.可知C项正确。
3.B 【解析】细节理解题。根据最后一段最后一句话 The two schools hope to
raise the standards of web content. 可知新的联合倡议的目的是提高网络内容的可信度，故选B。
4.C 【解析】细节理解题。根据最后一段第四句话Sir Tim says another major
challenge will be to provide free Internet for everybody.可知Sir Tim希望每个人都能免费使用因特网，故选C。
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